LIVESTREAM Spain: Badalona Dracs @ L’Hospitalet Pioners, Jan. 11, 16:00 CET (4 pm, 10 am ET)

AFI | American Football | 01/11/2025

Graphic: Igor Lazarevic

The Badalona Dracs travel across town in Barcelona to take on the L’Hospitalet Pioners in the first game of the Spanish National American Football League season at the Complex Esportiu de L’Hospitalet Nord.

The Dracs won both games between the two teams in 2024, 34-28 and 41-0.

Badalona finished first in the LNFA Eastern Conference with an 8-0 record while the Pioners wound up second at 5-3. The Dracs were eliminated in the semifinals 23-15 by the eventual champions, the Las Rozas Black Demons while L’Hospitalet fell to Osos Rivas from Madrid, 36-33.

Former championship head coach Oscar Calatayud is back on the sideline for the Dracs after a three year absence. The veteran coach spent 17 years as the Dracs head coach, leading them to win six of their 11 LNFA league titles, five of which came consecutively between 2016 and 2021 – a stretch which saw the team’s record reach an astonishing 62-5 against Spanish teams.

Badalona boasted the top scoring offense in the LNFA in 2024 averaging 43.4 points a game during the regular season. With newly-signed running back Keshawn Williams (University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff/NCAA Div. I) in the backfield, the Dracs will create problems for the Pioners front seven.

Despite being the road team, Badalona is the slight favorite in this game with Calatayud guiding the team again.